AVENUES2005Academy Teaches the Finer Points of ArtStudents are learning how to draw on Summit Avenue by following the steps of the Mastersby Carol Nigrelli

James Robinson is passionate about art - and about stoking that passion in young people and adults. “I have yet to meet a kid who isn’t talented,” he said. “Every child can draw and paint well if they’re trained how to do it. I’m a fanatic about that.”

Some might chalk up such rhetoric as the natural thing for an art teacher to say. But one jaw dropping look around Robinson’s Art Academy dispels any doubts about his fanaticism. Robinson’s students practice what he preaches.

On long tables inside The Art Academy, which is located in the former Immaculate Heart of Mary School building at 1550 Summit Avenue, rest drawings and paintings of such detail, dimension and clarity that one would think the masters themselves had guided each child’s hand.

And, in a way, they did.

“Beginning students learn to draw by copying the work of famous painters,” said Robinson, a Como Park resident and the father of two sons. Robinson then whipped out three books of the earliest known drawings of Michelangelo, Picasso, and Rubens.

“Michelangelo copied from a well-known artist of his day when he was young, and Picasso and Rubens did the same thing,” he said, pointing to some not-so-remarkable pencil drawings. “Once they learned the basics, they developed their own style.”Robinson stresses technique and structure over creativity to his students for a reason: He was never taught how to draw as a child.“When I was 5 years old, I was sitting in class drawing Noah’s Ark,” he recalled. “By the time I got to the second giraffe’s head, I just knew I wanted to be an artist.”

Art Academy graduates who have gone on to study art at a college level, many with competitive scholarships

Michelle Franz - Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts, CT

Annie Nelson - Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, MA

Emily Tutelman - University of MN

Sarah Fowler - Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Erin Ries - Iowa State University

Isaac Mann - University of Iowa

Ellie Perendy - SUNY Purchase, NY

Nick Pitera - Ringling School of Art and Design, FL

Lester DiLorenzo - Art Center College of Design, CA

Isabelle McCormick - Rhode Island School of Design, RI

Kristin Ries - University of Wisconsin - River Falls

Alex Pederson - Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Emma Kimball - Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts, CT

Kyle Caspers - Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts, CT

David Kramer - Maryland Institute College of Art, MD

Ruby Thompson, The Evergreen State College, WA

Winner!

WCCO’s Best Places For

Kid’s Summer Art Activities

“Do you have a child between the ages of 5 and 18 looking for technical instruction to increase their drawing and painting aptitude? With a great student-to-teacher ratio and a 19-year track record, kids will gain the skills to take their artwork to the next level at The Art Academy. Topics include understanding mass and color theory through watercolor painting, drawing superheroes and illustrating a children’s book. Weekly Classes, private lessons and summer camps are offered.”